It is not hard to imagine that the sea was a refuge from these "disturbed conditions of France," as Champlain called them. In 1613 he wrote a letter to Queen Marie de Médici in which he said: "Madam, from my childhood, the art of navigation has won my love." [See Artifact]

Champlain's father Antoine was a sea captain, but his most important relation was his uncle, Guillaume Hellaire. When Champlain was released from the army and pensioned off in 1598, he sought out his uncle, who had been hired as a pilot by the King of Spain. "I resolved, so as not to remain idle," wrote Champlain, "to find means to voyage to Spain." This was the beginning of his seafaring adventures, which eventually brought him to Canada. [See Close-up]